I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a neurological motor therapy suit.
II. Description of the Related Art
Many individuals, such as those inflicted with infantile cerebral paralysis, suffer from neurological damage. As such, these patients are unable to control their muscles to effect normal movements.
In an effort to “train” both the muscles and the brain of the patient suffering from neurological damage, there have been previously known neurological therapy suits such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,922 to Afanasenko et al. In the Afanasenko et al. patent, a pair of shoulder pads are secured to the patient as well as a waistband, knee supports and shoe supports. Elastic bands then extend between the shoulder pads and waistband, as well as between the waistband and the knee supports. These elastic bands are tensioned in an amount designed to simulate the proper posture for the patient. Hopefully, by forcing the patient to assume the proper posture as well as muscle movements over an hour or two, the brain will be trained to simulate such movements once the therapy suit is removed.
These previously known neurological therapy suits, however, have not proven entirely satisfactory in use. One disadvantage of these previously known therapy suits is that the position of both the shoulder pads as well as the waistband shift during movement of the patient. Such shifting of the shoulder pads and/or waistband necessarily changes the tension of elastic bands between the various components of the therapy suit. This, in turn, varies the neurological feedback signal from the muscle to the brain and results in improper muscle training for the patient.